Digital marketing is the component of marketing that uses the internet and online-based digital technologies such as computers, mobile phones and other digital platforms to promote brands, products and services to potential and current customers. The process of digital marketing has many layers including targeted digital communications, content creation, branding and social media marketing. Key objectives within digital marketing can be to connect with a wider audience, generate brand awareness, promote products and services, build community within a target audience and drive traffic to a business. Digital media marketing is all about meeting target audiences and customers where they are and as they socially interact with each other and your brand.
Strategies will differ based on the digital platform and where your target audience spends the majority of their time. Common digital marketing platforms include Google, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Snapchat, Twitter, TikTok, Pinterest and YouTube.
The majority of these platforms are most commonly used by millennial and Generation Z audiences. There are around 8 billion people on the globe, and 4.9 billion of them are using social media as of 2023. These numbers also mean that over two-thirds of internet users and one in three people worldwide are on social media platforms.
The fact is, if your business does not have a clear and consistent digital marketing strategy and digital brand presence, you are missing a large majority of your audience and could be falling behind in comparison to competitors. With statistics like over 90.4% of millennials using some form of social media, it is imperative your brand has a voice and presence across digital platforms in 2023.
Below are examples of digital marketing goals that all-sized businesses can pursue:
Goal 1: Increase brand awareness
This means getting your name out there and having your audience familiar and aware of your brand. To create authentic and lasting brand awareness, focus on content that emphasizes your values and personality.
Goal 2: Generate leads and sales
Whether in-store, online or directly through social profiles, followers do not make purchases by accident. Digital marketing provides an avenue to generate revenue by making people aware of new products and promotions.
Goal 3: Grow your brand’s audience
To gain new followers, introduce your brand to people who haven’t heard of you before. Discover conversations around your business or industry that matter the most.
Goal 4: Boost community engagement
Social media is all about engagement, so it pays to explore new ways to grab the attention of your current followers.
This means companies need to experiment with messaging and content. For example, does your brand promote user-generated content and hashtags? Something as simple as asking a question can increase your engagement rate. Your customers can be your best cheerleaders, but only if you are giving them a reason to do so.
Goal 5: Drive traffic to your site
If you are focused on generating leads or traffic to your website, social media can make it happen. Whether through promotional posts or social ads, keeping an eye on conversions and URL clicks can help you better determine your return on investment (ROI) from social media.
Benefits
We have entered a new era of thinking about digital marketing, branding, and content creation. The benefits of digital marketing include increased brand awareness, fostering relationships with customers, generating leads, quickly and efficiently communicating with your audience, boosting conversions, and learning from competitors.
How To Create a Digital Marketing Strategy
Before even executing a digital marketing strategy, the best thing to do is have an expert perform a digital marketing audit of your brand. In this audit, they can determine things you are already doing well across digital marketing platforms and the many things you may need to improve upon, act upon or change.
The best way to create a digital marketing strategy that includes content creation, branding, and all elements of social media is to a) research your buyer personas and audience, b) determine which social platforms to market on, c) establish important
metrics and key performance indicators (KPIs), create unique and engaging content, and organize and schedule your posts. It is also important to monitor your competitors and their digital marketing efforts.
How To Analyze Digital Marketing Impact and Results
Following are ten metrics to review to determine the effectiveness of your digital marketing efforts:
- Engagement
- Reach
- Followers
- Impressions
- Video Views
- Profile Visits
- Mentions
- Tags
- Reposts
- Shares
Summary
In conclusion, if you want to connect with a Millennial and Gen Z audience – being the largest combined generational population in the U.S. – your brand must have a strong digital marketing presence and brand. Considering it takes only 3 seconds for your audience to decide if they’ll interact with your content or scroll by on a social media channels feed, it is important to have a digital marketing expert guiding your strategy, branding and content initiatives.
“Ask Dr. Ann” is a series of columns in which Dr. S. Ann Earon answers your questions about all things UCC. Do you have a question that you’d like her to consider for her next column? Submit your question(s) here!
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